Three musicians present their own musical "reading" of the movement, through accompanying dance exercises shown live. The musicians' individual approaches, comprised of both improvisation and repertoire's reprocessing will be the spark to wonder about musical strategies to be enacted: meters, colours, dynamics, styles, minimalism, complementarity, illustration, chance operation, dancers producing music and so on. The talk will be open to the participants who may propose their own ideas.. The "Piano Circus Ballet" will progress according to the traditional structure of a ballet class; the "Piano Circus Contemporary" will proceed more freely, exploring dynamics and aesthetical features of different techniques.

Body Music

​​​Using the oldest instrument on the planet - the human body - we clap, slap, snap, step and vocalize our way through some very fun and funky, original and traditional rhythmic music. Body Music is an effective way of internaliz- ing rhythmic work, which enhances the development of time, timing, phras- ing, listening skills, independence, coordination and ensemble awareness. We will explore a variety of rhythmic systems and concepts from around the world, including polyrhythms, crosspulses, polymeters, phasing, half time/ double time, and more. It is a useful tool for musicians, dancers and movers of all kinds, actors, DJs and film editors - anyone interested in deepening their rhythmic skills. Wear comfortable cloting and clean sneakers or jazz shoes. No previous experience necessary.

Then 82 years old, Reed Hansen had been accompanying classes of the Martha Graham Technique™ at The Juilliard School since 1958 and has had an enduring relationship from the early ’ 70’s with the Martha Graham School and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Martha chose Reed as her personal accompanist.Reed has a deep-rooted sensibility of the union between teacher, student and accompanist. Through masterful improvisation, his lifetime development of the musical underpinning of Graham’s formalized physical language, its progressive vocabulary, transitional phrasing and nuance, has enriched the artistry of generations of dancers and forged the way for other dance accompanists. His contribution to the preservation of the methodology for teaching Martha Graham’s codified technique and philosophy is unprecedented.Terese Capucilli, who has produced and directed this documentary, says: "I see Reed as one of our unsung heroes and, through the filming process, have not been able to separate the man from the work. The two are so selflessly intertwined. The Sacrosanct Accompanist, reveals the journey of a dedicated life, one that always brings such ‘amazing grace’ into our studios. A documentary and educational tool focusing on Graham’s essential floorwork vocabulary, this film gives an inside look at the technique, uncommonly — and solely— from the perspective of the accompanist. It is my gift to Reed and to those I hope will follow in his footsteps".

Four sessions on different experiences of composition for choreography. Vincenzo Lamagna, Philip Feeney and Mikael Karlsson will talk us on their own artistic path and their vision of dance, the way their works were generated, the used strategies, the relationship they have entails with the dance, and how the dance has modified the parameters, the expectations and the poetics of the composer.In "Comparison of two visions" Valentina Casesa and Alberto Maniaci, recently graduated in "Maestro Collaboratore per la Danza" from AND/Conservatorio de l'Aquila, together with live dancers, will stage the works they separately composed on the same choreography, and that were their degree thesis.

Blind date

November 2nd - 17.15-19.15 - Teatro

November 3rd - 18.00-19.45 - Teatro

​Seven dates each session. A musician and a dancer. Both ignore other's identity. The date is given. Circustances, time and site will do the rest. Nothing new, after all. The blind date is the way improvisation works. Open to all participants. Enrolment is required.

Learn Music through Dancing

Dancers are inherently physical learners. The act of dancing is an effective means through which they can learn complex musical concepts. There is no better way to understanding than through studying examples, creating a personal response to them, and physicalizing this understanding.This presentation/workshop will show my online course “Learn Music through Dancing,” a systematic approach to understanding musical elements and form through the act of music visualization choreography. Following the model of Doris Humphrey in her dance “Soaring,” students learn a deep understanding of music through making their own dances to various musical forms. These range from simple strophic through complex contrapuntal forms, in a wide range of musical genres. The presentation will first show the online course: course content, learning objectives, topic order, means of fulfilling assignments, and examples of student work. During the workshop portion participants will create their own music visualization studies in order to embody the lessons taught in the course.

Sigurd Leeder: a Musical Legacy

​Sigurd Leeder (1902-1981) was a modern dance pioneer who was a contemporary of Kurt Jooss. Suzanne Knosp was introduced to the work of Sigurd Leeder by renowned Labanotator and Dance Historian, Ann Hutchinson-Guest. Dr. Hutchinson-Guest studied with Leeder at the Dartington School in England during the mid 1930’s. Together with her Suzanne Knosp has presented many workshops for the National Dance Education Organization on his work. During this time, Suzanne encouraged Ann to publish a book on his teaching material as she is one of the last of his students still alive and has preserved his work. Her book, A Selection from the Sigurd Leeder Heritage, was published in the fall of 2017.Suzanne consulted with Dr. Hutchinson-Guest on the book and she shared with here not only written scores that Leeder used in class, but copies of cassette recordings that she acquired from the Leeder Archives in Lichtenstein. In this session Suzanne will share these recordings, as well as the scores and movement vocabulary that is his legacy. As a result of this workshop, participants will gain a further understanding of the evolution of music for modern dance class.

Music theory and musical training in dance classes | Aspects of multitasking pedagogy.

​Lecture | Review of the possibilities of using dance classes as a part of a musical education. How to include rhythms, structures, music history and theory in a kind of multitasking pedagogic and artistic process. Evaluating the different Choreomusical strategies and practices relevance according to the primary goal of educating professional dancers.Workshop | Choreomusical practice. Exploring possibilities of making a system or more systems that can integrate the different aspects of musical training and musicology in the dance technique classes taking the starting point in the different Choreomusical strategies.

Free Flow Motion

Free Flow Motion is first and foremost a line of thinking, a way of being and relating to ourselves and to the others. It is an inner vision enlighting the exterior in order to reabsorb it, feed on it and let it get out again, as in a continuous cycle. During the Free Flow Motion, each participant tryes to become flow himself, through a unrepeatable experience. In this context, the only "task" of musician is to enter this flow, precisely because he has no tasks to be carried out: anything can happen through a neutral condition that is an openness to the infinity of sound chances, just as "a blank page before the poet".

How do we judge Musicality?

​Back in 1938 Carl E. Seashore in The Psychology of Music made the first attempt to categorise musicality by creating an ‘atomistic’ series of questions which assessed six qualities in a musician ranging from pitch and loudness to tonal memory. These findings were debunked by Dr. Edwin Gordon who claimed in his Advanced Measure of Music Audition that the separation of musical qualities did not constitute any particular attainment in making music. He created an ‘omnibus’ approach in the 1960’s, utilising rhythmic qualities in movement and music to demonstrate musical aptitude in young children. His findings were picked up by Howard Gardner who went on to develop his Multiple Intelligences Theory,where“spatial representation and musical thinking” feature as two of his seven distinct intelligences.When looking at Dance examination we note that Musicality features as one of the skills attained by the dancer. This opens up a whole world of speculation on what qualities that might actually constitute in an examiner’s eyes.This workshop looks at the meaning of Musicality within the boundaries of Music and Dance. In this practical session we will explore what we really mean emotionally when we talk about Musicality. The purpose of this exploration is to uncover in what ways we might form a better narrative for the assessment of this elusive characteristic for both the student and professional performer.

Methods and practices of the teacher-pianist communication: perspectives from behind a keyboard

Communication is a fundamental aspect of any working relationship, especially when professionals with different competences and backgrounds aim to achieve the best possible standards from their collaboration. After a brief general introduction, Luca Tieppo, through a series of practical examples supported by Diana Tavernier, teacher of the Scuola del Balletto di Roma, gives an interpretation of how different forms of communication can influence the effectiveness of the didactic intents. The analysis of the various communication practices, including from a psychological perspective, and their optimisation can empower teachers and pianists with the necessary tools to achieve the best possible outcomes and highlight the importance of reciprocal collaboration.

A comparative of the elements of accompaniment for the ballet class in different dance schools

The accompanist in the ballet class can experience multiple situations when facing different dance schools. Not only regarding the modifications in the order of the exercises, but also in terms of terminology, time signature, style or musical gender, tempo, communication, and other peculiarities that derive from the conventions established by each dance tradition.Quantitative and qualitative data will be presented based on professional experience, and various analyzes carried out in different institutions with prominent instructors.This lecture will intend to establish a framework of analysis and debate around how this "crossfire" that supposes in some cases the methodological dispute between schools, affects the accompaniment practice, the pianist, and his/her positioning and adaptability.

The angelic Body and the rhytmic Brain

A few years ago neurosciences have made their appearance on the edge of the fantastic abyss of rhythmic perception. Body response and rhythm decoding processes come to life in the "primitive" brain and radiate to the cortical layer. The beginning of a discourse on these new discoveries is, for those working around rhythmicity, a fundamental part of the task of constantly transforming one's own knowledge. Perception of the meter, activation of the compensation area, mechanism of expectation, metrical desire and rhythmic desire. The gap in the current way of teaching. Development of rhythmic sensibility and a different focus on the relationship between music and dance.

Vertebrate Pattern-Movement Music

Hearing and Understanding Pattern-Movement StructuresThe fundamental patterns of limb-movements that vertebrates use in locomotion are the same patterns used by musicians in playing piano, percussion, and strings. An awareness of the role of these movements in musical structures provides a revelatory understanding of why and how music delivers a “sense” of movement to listeners. This workshop gives an overview of the multiple levels of pattern-movement organization in musical structures around the globe, with extensive examples drawn principally from Beethoven sonatas, and additionally from jazz, 20th century classical, West African and Indonesian musics. The workshop will include active exploration of pattern-movements and pattern-movement music making, in movement and in sound. (Please bring instruments to the workshop.)

Generating Music/Dance Relationships with Pattern-MovementsThis workshop will briefly review principles and varieties of pattern-movements in music making (presented in greater detail in Workshop 1). Then, in a series of improvisational/compositional exercises, we will explore ways to use pattern-movements in the generation of movement, the development of musical structures and in music/dance relationships relevant to choreography and improvisation. (Please bring instruments to the workshop. Previous participation in Workshop 1 is recommended but not required for Workshop 2)

Structuring Dances with the Mosho Mobile App System

​This session will show some of the work that John Toenjes and his collaborators have created incorporating the Mosho Mobile Application System they have been developing over the past several years. After watching some excerpts, we'll have a discussion of how to rethink ideas of choreographic structure and audio scores in relation to mobile devices. Afterwards there will be a participatory demonstration of the technology, in the form of a performance of the dance "I,We" by American choreographer David Marchant. Bring your cellphone and download the Mosho app for iOS or Android before the session by going to http://mosho.rocks/get-mosho.html

​Celebrating an occasion, honoring a birth. Creating sounds and movements into a formal structure defining seven musical parts of the same duration. Seven instantaneous compositions each of which ends interacting with a different dancer.

Giuditta e Oloferne

November 1st - 18.00-19.30 - Teatro

This year marks 70 years from the foundation of the Accademia Nazionale di Danza, that is the result of the brilliance, the art and the foresight of Jia Ruskaja. "Il Corpo nel Suono" wants to pay tribute to her, screening "Giuditta e Oloferne", the film she starred in 1929, directed by Baldassarre Negroni. All too often the myth obliterate the memory of the bodies. This is the way we chose to have her body come back and restore it movement, action, sound.